GPM De Dion Bouton 75 mm

[Kevin WS]

Great - off we go.

Good start!

[modelperry]

Springs and front axle.

There is nothing in the diagrams about the correct amount of curvature to the springs nor the need to roll the ends. Both need to be done to the rear springs. rolling the ends is only needed at the front. At least that's what I think. hopefully the truck will sit level or at the worst have a slight nose down rake. Certainly not hoping for a nose up rake.

Next the front axle is shown with only one of the two lamination callouts. Again a pattern would have been nice since the entire axle does not need laminated so the front spindles can be properly installed.

So far the build diagrams are almost useless. They give you a basic idea of how things need to look when done but very little clue on how to get there.

greg

[modelperry]

Construction of wheels has commensed. There is a pattern for the spoke arrangement provided so I made a jig.

Greg

[modelperry]

finished up the spokes last night. The size indicated by the overlap line on the spoke parts gives you an end result that is slightly too large to get a good fit. After the first go around with the first 8 spokes, I rolled the rest a little smaller. The Q-tip stick gave me a good diameter spoke to use when rolled tightly on it.

Then, after the second set of spokes were assembled with Aleene's PVA, I switched to Loctite Gel CA glue to give a faster set time.

Tolerances are so tight on this model so far that the outer ends of the spokes CANNOT stick out past the jig pattern diameter. I have had to trim a few ends to improve fit into the wheels (which will be the subject of my next post).

on a side note: there are four wheel assemblies required two front and two rear, however there are parts for six assemblies (three each). In addition, an extra set of spoke parts are provided. This is a nice surprise!

greg

[modelperry]

Wheels are done. What fiddly little @#$%^ these were. Fit was good, tolerances tight, and diagrams a little more helpful than others in this model so far, but assembly was still tedious.

Anyway, here they are at different stages and a mock up at the end. Stance looks decent. Brake drums and rear axles are not yet glued until I figure out the rest of the rear axle assembly.

greg

[rifleman]

dam fine looking wheels nicely done certainly look the part

[Kevin WS]

Excellent job!

[modelperry]

The rear "axle" assembly is quite unique, at least to me.

There is a rear axle beam that connects the two sides. It has a curved section in the middle. The part and forming pattern would have you "bend" a hollow paper tube to shape. Yeah, that's not going to happen.

So I took an appropriate sized Wilton's lollipop stick, sectioned it into three pieces, bent the middle piece and reassembled.

The remaining parts assembled somewhat like the drawings, even though I could never figure out where 12j went...

greg

[Kevin WS]

Good fix. No need to make things more complicated than they already are!

[modelperry]

Drive train:

The engine is a V-8 (one of the earliest produced). It built up OK but the diagrams did not help as much as they should have. A couple cylinders were only represented by tubes so I had to make ends from the scrap rear axle beam part I didn't use.

Transmission assembled fairly well. Again had to make a few cylinder end caps.

Drive shaft assembly was low on parts and assembly was no problem.

Then there was the rear differential.

The diagrams were terrible with lack of detail and miss labeled parts. As for the parts themselves, there were some that were missing (see big white pieces at the front of the assembly), and some that did not assemble well (side hemispheric pieces from petals that would not close). How this assembly was supposed to be installed on the frame was not depicted clearly anywhere on the diagrams.

But some how I got it all "figured" out and installed. At least I hope I installed the engine at the correct location....

greg